Mill Hollow House, The · National Register of Historic Places
Brownhelm Township’s story
207 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 maps from 1903 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1819Brownhelm Township is settled
Brownhelm TownshipOH
Trash & recycling6 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
8,053
2025 Census estimate · +2.2% since 2020
Median home value
$247K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
51.4
years
Jobs based here
1,063
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#703 of 987 in OH
Is Brownhelm Township a good place to live?
Brownhelm Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 703rd among Ohio's 987 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 72% of Ohio towns. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $247K for a typical one and 3.5 times the Cleveland metro’s $71K median household income. 11% of the land in Brownhelm Township is conserved, where Ohio’s towns sit at 3.7% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 158 of Ohio’s 1,718 towns score higher on the outdoors. Mill Hollow Bacon Woods Park, at 329 acres with 3.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
What makes Brownhelm Township stand out
Where Brownhelm Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Brownhelm Township for work
Where Brownhelm Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,063jobs based in Brownhelm Township
5%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Brownhelm Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Brownhelm Township is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 21% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.7 of 20; 3.1% of households have no car; 0.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Cost of livingCOpen →SchoolsB+Open →HealthMercy Regional Medical Center 5.1 miles awayBOpen →Jobs & income$62K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors10 miles of trailsA−Open →History1 place on the National RegisterA−Open →Civic life4.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Brownhelm Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brownhelm Township, and how to reach them.
PowerOhio Edison16.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVermilion City water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpFrom the town’s siteTrash and recycling rulesTown site
SchoolsFirelands Local School DistrictVermilion Local School District2 districts serve Brownhelm Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Ohio you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDirector, Lorain County Board of ElectionsLorain County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP codes44089, 4400144089 85% · 44001 15%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Brownhelm Township.
#267for trails in OH
11.1%
conserved · 1,460 of 13,100 acres
9.6 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mill Hollow Bacon Woods Park | 3.7 mi | 329 |
| 2. Vermilion River Reservation | 0.9 mi | 93 |
| 3. Showse Park | 0.7 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Brownhelm Township faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 46 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brownhelm Township.
21risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
46
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Brownhelm Township has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Brownhelm Township for work: only 5% work in town. Brownhelm Township’s average trip to work is 28 minutes, above both Ohio’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Brownhelm Township grew to 1,063 in 2023, 107 more than in 2013.
5%work in town
| Brownhelm Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 6.9% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Brownhelm Township5%
Vermilion11%
Cleveland9%
Elyria8%
Lorain8%
18 mi
median commute distance
1,063
jobs based in Brownhelm Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Ohio overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 27% of residents (18% statewide). Brownhelm Township’s median age is 51.4 years. Brownhelm Township has grown 2.2% since 2020, to 8,053 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
51.4median age · OH 39.7
| Brownhelm Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.4 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 24% | 29% |
Brownhelm TownshipOhioUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school30%
Some college24%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate14%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 83% are women (OH 49%).
| Brownhelm Township | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.9% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.6% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.7% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.5% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.6% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.6% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.6% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.8% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Brownhelm Township
Brownhelm Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Brownhelm Township is 82°F.
47″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–36°
Spring40–57°
Summer63–80°
Fall46–62°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
On CDC estimates, Brownhelm Township is healthier than 59% of U.S. towns
Against the 9,507 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brownhelm Township’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Brownhelm Township beats the Ohio average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 31% of Brownhelm Township adults feel lonely.
59%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Brownhelm Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
12 better17 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Brownhelm Township | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 14.1% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.7% | 8.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.7% |
Mercy Regional Medical Center
5.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
71st
percentile among OH towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 68 attractions →Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 48 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brownhelm Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi MuseumRock and Roll Hall of Fame580K visitors a year
Big draw20 mi Theme parkCedar Point3.8M visitors a year
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaProgressive Field
33 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Field
35 mi National ParkCuyahoga Valley National Park3.0M visitors a year
33 mi Stadium & arenaRocket ArenaSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cedar Point: Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, en:User:Lar (primary), CC BY 2.5 · Progressive Field: Jsawczuk, Public domain · Huntington Bank Field: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 · Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Rocket Arena: Cards84664, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Brownhelm Township
18pages on Brownhelm Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Brownhelm Township
Oberlin CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Oberlin8.4 mi$67,366 tuitionLorain County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Elyria12.5 mi$4,265 in-state tuitionBowling Green State University-FirelandsCommunity college · Public · Huron14.6 mi$6,407 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Brownhelm Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
About Brownhelm Township
Township in Ohio, US
Brownhelm Township is one of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,877. Brownhelm was the first local government of any kind in the United States to elect a black man to public office; on April 2, 1855, John Mercer Langston, a black man from Virginia, became town clerk. He later became a United States congressman.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 20 sq mi
- Elevation
- 653 ft
Brownhelm Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Brownhelm Township.
Lorain next door grades lower for schools (C− to Brownhelm Township’s B+) and higher for cost of living (B+ to C).
VermilionHenrietta TownshipAmherst TownshipLorainVermilion TownshipAmherstBrownhelm Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownhelm Township | #703 | C+ | C | — | B+ | B |
| Vermilion | #198 | A− | B− | A+ | B+ | B− |
| Henrietta Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Amherst Township | #545 | B− | B | — | B+ | C+ |
| Lorain | #976 | D | B+ | C− | C− | D− |
| Vermilion Township | #613 | B− | B− | — | B+ | B |
| Amherst | #186 | A− | B | B | B+ | B+ |
Henrietta Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Brownhelm Township, Henrietta Township, Amherst Township and Vermilion Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Brownhelm Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Brownhelm Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Brownhelm Township, OH a good place to live?
Brownhelm Township grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #703 of 987 in Ohio. It grades B for health and B+ for schools.
Is Brownhelm Township, OH expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.